The present invention relates systems and methods for constructing straw bale core building walls and, more particularly, to such walls with internal structural components that can brace the wall during construction.
The use of straw bales as a core material for building walls is well known in the art, as are the advantages of such walls. One of the difficulties of constructing such walls is keeping them in place and plumb while they are being erected and before an outer membrane is applied.
The prior art practice for keeping straw bale walls in place during construction is to use external bracing, primarily using wood or pipe members. The disadvantages of external bracing (regardless of the materials used) is that the bracing makes the application of the outer membrane difficult, requiring substantial effort and time, which translates directly into added expense. External bracing also consumes materials that are typically discarded. Even if some of the bracing materials are reused or recycled, they add nothing to the structural integrity of the wall after it is fully constructed.
The present invention teaches a system and method for the construction of a straw bale core wall that provides internal bracing during construction that permits walls as high as 24 feet to be constructed with little or no external bracing, and the members and parts that provide the construction phase bracing also become permanent parts of the wall's internal structure. The present invention thus eliminates the difficulties of applying the outer wall membrane when external bracing is in place and uses the same members that provide construction phase bracing as internal structural elements for the finished wall.